Tag Archives: richard drax mp

The latest data on life chances in South Dorset make alarming reading. In October the House of Commons Library published new research on opportunities for children across England. This showed that South Dorset ranks bottom among 533 parliamentary constituencies for social mobility – the likelihood that children from “disadvantaged socioeconomic backgrounds” will do well as adults in terms of jobs, income and housing.*

Children in Weymouth and Portland face particularly acute challenges. All areas of South Dorset face problems of employment and housing. However, in Weymouth & Portland – the major urban area of the constituency – job opportunities are limited, incomes are low and schools face a daunting challenge to meet children’s needs.

The latest figures suggest that Weymouth & Portland falls far below the base level for social mobility measured across the whole of England.

Social decline

The Social Mobility Index by Constituency (SMIC) measures life chances of disadvantaged children – prospects for those eligible for Free School Meals (FSM). Among several indices of educational attainment and employment prospects, it finds:

only 46 per cent of children in South Dorset eligible for FSM achieved “a good level of development” at the end of the Foundation Stage of education. South Dorset ranked 522 of 533 constituencies across England for Early Years attainment;

only 28 per cent of children in South Dorset eligible for FSM achieved the expected national level of achievement at the end of Key Stage 4. South Dorset ranked 530 of 533 constituencies at the School stage of attainment;

the average points score of children in South Dorset eligible for FSM at age 15 taking A-levels or equivalent was 19: South Dorset ranked 451 of 533 constituencies at the Youth stage of attainment;

almost 40 per cent of all jobs in South Dorset paid less than the Living Wage as defined by the Living Wage Foundation. South Dorset ranked 512 of 533 constituencies at the Adulthood stage of attainment.

Aggregated results placed South Dorset bottom of the national index.

When more stable areas of the South Dorset constituency are abstracted from these figures the situation in Weymouth & Portland is revealed starkly as an area in economic and social decline. More than two-thirds of the population of South Dorset is concentrated in Weymouth & Portland, where significant numbers of children are now grossly disadvantaged by national standards.

In denial?

Are elected representatives of people in South Dorset in denial of these realities? Neither members of parliament nor local councils have addressed mounting evidence of economic and social crisis, especially in Weymouth & Portland.

When in May 2018 WeyPAW invited South Dorset MP Richard Drax and West Dorset MP Oliver Letwin (whose constituency borders Weymouth & Portland) to plan a conference addressing these issues, both refused – and local councils failed to respond.

WeyPAW convenor Philip Marfleet said: “The crisis in Weymouth & Portland is clear to see in these statistics but more important is the reality for young people in the area.

“I’m proud to come from Dorset and to live in the county. But I’m not proud of being bottom of the list for jobs, wages and educational achievement.

“Our MPs and councillors need to take the initiative with policies that address low pay, part-time jobs and inadequate contracts – and act urgently to support teachers and school staff with resources to boost education. Are MPs and councils really going to sit back and let the decline go on relentlessly?

“WeyPAW will continue to highlight these issues as matters of social justice that require changes of policy and urgent action.”

The Social Mobility Commission is an advisory non-departmental public body that: “monitors progress towards improving social mobility in the UK, and promotes social mobility in England”.

The Commission’s research, it says, “offers a good guide to which areas provide young people from disadvantaged backgrounds with the best opportunity to do well as adults and it can be used to identify differences between local areas in the extent to which disadvantaged young people are likely to be able to fulfil their potential.”

On 5 July almost 200 residents attended a public meeting (at short notice) to unanimously voice their opposition to the planned closure of 16 beds at Portland Community Hospital.

The message they sent was very clear – losing the beds would not only remove a valuable resource from the community, but would also mark another step in the ongoing erosion of Portland’s infrastructure and with it the fundamental facilities and systems required to support its growing and ageing community.

Portland Community Hospital is located in the most deprived location in Dorset. Anarea recently ranked 322 out of 324 local authorities in England in terms of social mobility prospects for those with a disadvantaged background. Child poverty is high, average weekly pay is the lowest in the UK and key indicators show that prompt action is needed to improve overall health and life expectancy. Portland is a community that is already reeling under the impact of past cuts and evolving challenges, all of which are directly impacting on our health and wellbeing.

Government targets state 90 homes per year need to be built on Portland (approx 600 currently under construction or planned). There are plans for 3,000 new jobs to be created locally. These factors, combined with our ageing population, will further increase demand on our already depleted health and social care services – a demand that cannot be satisfied by partial provision in Weymouth (with 1950 new homes planned) or by our county hospital in Dorchester (with 3,500 new homes planned).

Portland’s geographical setting sets it apart from other areas in Dorset. With one road on and off the Island, 14 miles from DCH and even further from other specialist provision – Portland’s residents are already disadvantaged in their ability to receive prompt and effective medical care. Visiting loved ones in hospitals off the Island, especially for older residents, can be hugely challenging. Around ¼ of residents don’t drive, there is no direct public transport to DCH or surrounding community hospitals and taxi/bus fares are prohibitively high. Closing these beds means you are directly compromising the ability of residents to engage with loved ones, often in the late stages of life. This is not acceptable.

The key reason given for closing these beds is the inability to recruit adequate staff to guarantee the safety of patients. We understand, however, that staff have not been given the option to work at Portland for some time because it’s no longer an option on the staffing rota? Also, once staff know that a ward is to be closed they are unlikely to apply to work there.

Perhaps an approach where existing staff can choose to work at Portland and where potential recruits are offered accommodation to encourage a move, would ease any staffing issues? All over the country, “key workers” are assisted to find housing close to work. What efforts have you made to support nurses and ancillary staff in Portland?

Local residents believe you should revisit the planned closure of Portland’s 16 community hospital beds as a matter of urgency, particularly as you have no clear plan for what will replace the Island’s current and inadequate healthcare facilities.

Instead, plans should be advanced to develop and invest in the hospital and local surgeries as part of a new strategy for healthcare in the area. This work should be a collaborative endeavour between NHS workforce representatives, health workers and community groups – an approach that is already evident in many areas where healthcare provision is working to maximum impact.

Mr Shields – you state that you want to consult with local people in order to build a new person-focused, localised service. We ask that you do this BEFOREclosing the hospital’s beds. We have a right to effective local health services – including a hospital, which needs to be developed, not rundown until inevitable closure.

Mr Drax – you told us at the Portland meeting that you had heard and understood our views. Also, that you were against these cuts. We ask what more will you now be doing to meet our needs and protect the interests of your constituents in Portland and across South Dorset?